Vehicle window mounting racks for rifles and the like are known in the prior art and take on various different forms such as exemplified by the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Lindstrom 3,007,582; Norrington 3,294,247; Francis 2,550,796; Kaplin 2,746,661; and Koses 2,536,293.
As evidenced by these prior art examples, vehicle window racks for supporting objects therefrom are sometimes complex in design and potentially detrimental to the structure of the vehicle especially where the window frame member must be jacked apart in order to provide anchoring means for the rack. Alternatively, structural members of the vehicle must be drilled and fitted with a fastener means which not only requires limited skilled use of hand or power tools, but also defaces the interior of the vehicle. Moreover, direct attachment of the rack to any structural component of the vehicle inherently transmits undesirable loads from the vehicle into the rack and consequently into a rifle cradled by the rack. Often, when the vehicle is traveling on rough roads, the rifle is actually dislodged from its cradle. Moreover, imparting sudden heavy loads into the rifle could inadvertently cause the rifle to be discharged.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improvements in a mounting rack for rifles which can be readily and easily installed in spaced superimposed relationship upon a rear sliding window assembly of a vehicle without defacing the vehicle interior; which can be readily and securely installed without the use of tools and the like; which is adjustable from one size window to another; and, which can be removed from the vehicle whenever it is desired to do so. It is further desirable that such a mounting rack be situated in a manner whereby a minimum of vehicle loads are transmitted into the rifle cradled by the rack.